What a West Plains home costs each year
Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.
Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.
Starts at $32,281 of value before exemptions. Typical use.
- Property tax$1,466
4.541% of $32,281
- Electricity and gas$2,323
1001 kWh a month $1,515 · 31 therms $808
- Water and sewer$972
7,000 gallons a month on City of West Plains: water $41, sewer $40 a month
- Trash$372
Once weekly trash collection, $31 a month
- Home insurance$1,872
Typical premium $1,872
A typical West Plains house costs about $7,000 a year: $1,470 property tax and charges, $970 water and sewer, $370 trash, $2,320 electricity and gas, $1,870 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.
Rates checked Oct 31, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.
Ways to pay less
Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:
Who serves this house
- Water
- City of West Plains
- City water rates effective January 1, 2026: facility charge for a meter under 1 inch plus a MoDNR primacy fee, then a usage rate per 1,000 gallons.
- Property tax
- 4.54% of value
- 2025 tax year, Howell County (West Plains R-VII School District, City of West Plains)
- Garbage
- City of West Plains sanitation
- Once weekly trash collection is $15.50.
- Sewer
- City of West Plains
- Residential facility charge of $17.85.
- Electricity
- City of West Plains
- Energy is $0.1051 per kWh.
- Gas
- Summit Natural Gas of Missouri
- General Residential monthly charge of $15.00.
Your water
- Source
- The water system lists groundwater wells as sources, including wells under the influence of surface water.
- Violations
- The 2025 report says no violations occurred in calendar year 2025.
- Lead
- The 2025 report lists a 90th percentile lead result of 1.12 ppb.
Other MO cities
Springfield home costsIndependence home costsSt. Charles home costsBlue Springs home costsSt. Peters home costsLiberty home costsWildwood home costsRaytown home costsGrandview home costsRaymore home costsBelton home costsWebster Groves home costsOzark home costsRolla home costsCreve Coeur home costsLake Saint Louis home costsManchester home costsFerguson home costsClayton home costsKirksville home costsGrain Valley home costsJackson home costsDardenne Prairie home costsMarshall home costsFestus home costsFulton home costsCrestwood home costsBolivar home costsTown and Country home costsMexico home costsExcelsior Springs home costsSmithville home costsEllisville home costsMonett home costsKennett home costsColumbia home costsUniversity City home costsRepublic home costsWarrensburg home costsSikeston home costsTroy home costsMaryville home costsHarrisonville home costsWarrenton home costsOak Grove home costsDes Peres home costsSunset Hills home costsRichmond Heights home costsOlivette home costsBrentwood home costsPark Hills home costsNevada home costsSullivan home costsBoonville home costsCameron home costsValley Park home costsCottleville home costsBattlefield home costsShrewsbury home costsGlendale home costsOdessa home costsWright City home costsTrenton home costsSt. Robert home costsCaruthersville home costsParkville home costsLadue home costsPerryville home costsMaplewood home costsWillard home costsMarshfield home costsClinton home costs
How these numbers are made
- Electric, water, sewer and trash: City of West Plains Utility Rates effective January 1, 2026. Council gave first reading in October 2026 to higher electric, water, sewer and sanitation rates; they were not final, so current rates are used.
- Water: $16.16 facility charge (meter under 1 inch) plus $0.44 primacy fee, and $3.62 per 1,000 gallons; the schedule lists usage as '>1,001', so the first 1,000 gallons may be covered by the facility charge, which would lower the bill by up to $3.62.
- Property tax: State Auditor 2025 levies per $100 (city 0.3059 + library 0.1925, school 3.6883, county road & bridge 0.1775, county health 0.0905, developmental disabilities 0.0561, state 0.03); Missouri has no homestead exemption here. 2026 levies were not posted by the Auditor; local news reports the county general revenue levy rolled back to 0, so 2026 may be lower.
- The Census median value is a market value, multiplied by the 19 percent residential assessment ratio. Parts of the city may be in the South Howell Ambulance District or other districts not modelled.
- Gas: Summit rates (distribution plus PGA, per CCF converted to therms). Typical gas use not sourced, so the page default is used.
- Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.
How West Plains compares
A typical West Plains house against the 43 Missouri cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.
| Per year | West Plains | Median | Where it falls |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property tax rate | 4.54% | 5.64% | lower than 30 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover |
| Water | $492 | $680 | lower than 34 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover |
| Sewer and utility-bill fees | $481 | $805 | lower than 37 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover |
| Trash | $372 | $261 | higher than 26 of the other 31 Missouri cities we cover |
| Electricity and gas | $2,323 | $2,357 | lower than 23 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover |
| Home insurance | $1,872 | $1,872 | higher than 13 of the other 26 Missouri cities we cover |
| Total | $7,005 | $8,070 | lower than 32 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover |
Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.
Questions to ask your candidates
Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.
1. Water
The fact: Water here costs about $492 a year at typical use, lower than 34 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover.
Ask: "Water here costs about $492 a year at typical use, lower than 34 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
2. Sewer and utility-bill fees
The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $481 a year, lower than 37 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.
Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $481 a year, lower than 37 of the other 42 Missouri cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"
3. Trash
The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $372 a year for the standard cart, higher than 26 of the other 31 Missouri cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.
Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $372 a year for the standard cart, higher than 26 of the other 31 Missouri cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"
Common questions about West Plains house costs
What is the property tax rate in West Plains?
About 4.54% of the value before exemptions a year (2025 tax year, Howell County (West Plains R-VII School District, City of West Plains)), plus flat charges on the same bill.
How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in West Plains?
About $22,704 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.
How much is the water bill in West Plains?
About $81 a month for water and sewer at typical use (7,000 gallons a month) on City of West Plains.
How much does trash pickup cost in West Plains?
$31 a month for a house.
How much does a house in West Plains cost to run each year?
A typical West Plains house costs about $7,000 a year: $1,470 property tax and charges, $970 water and sewer, $370 trash, $2,320 electricity and gas, $1,870 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.